


Never Let You Go

by yagirlqueenie



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Child Abuse, Found Family, Gen, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Papa Kevin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-12
Updated: 2018-09-08
Packaged: 2019-05-21 12:28:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14915384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yagirlqueenie/pseuds/yagirlqueenie
Summary: Kevin never saw himself as a fatherly type, but after hearing word of her terrible home life, Kevin ends up taking custody over Sasha by the end of summer.Between his risky night job, and her unfolding life story, he finds himself making sacrifices over sacrifices over his newfound daughter.(TW for child abuse)





	1. Last Day of Camp

**Author's Note:**

> Heysies!! It's ya girl Queenie, back at it again
> 
> I didn't think I was gonna write anymore cc fics after I finished The Two Lines, but life's fucking full of surprises, ain't it??
> 
> Ty to camp-camp-hell on tumblr for being a beta reader!!
> 
> Triggers (Please read)
> 
> \- Child Abuse  
> \- Drug and Alcohol mention  
> \- Excessive swearing  
> \- Violence

Kevin awoke to the sound of the alarm on his phone, and the bright morning sun hitting his eyes, thanks to the fact he forgot to close the blinds.

His alarm was a Radiohead song, Creep. It was one of his personal favorites, actually. It reminded him of his edgy high school phase. And it was his favorite to sing and play on his uke.

 

“Good mooooorning laaaaadies!~” Penelope sing-songed over the PA system with a cheery tone. She must be sober.

As Penelope started off morning announcements, Kevin sat up and cracked his aching back. You'd imagine in a fancy camp with as many funds as it had, they'd have comfortable mattresses, but Kevin always woke up with a stiff back.

Kevin started working as a “garden father” about a week after he met the scouts due to popular demand, and also because Penelope needed someone to help around when she started drinking again.

He didn't mind the day job, it gave him extra money in his pocket and something to do before he went out dealing at night.

He lazily kicked off his flannel pajama bottoms as he reached for his jeans, button up, and hoodie that he lazily tossed. While he agreed to work, he specifically asked not to wear the shorts that came in his uniform. But, he did wear his sash, mainly because the girls wanted him to show off his hard-earned badges.

 

With a quick hand brush through his shaggy hair, Kevin left the counselor's cabin with a yawn.

The scouts were all lazily stepping out of their cabins, too. They all slugged out of their cabins, clearly tired. He heard a lot of them partying in their rooms the night before, lots of music and laughter, even a scary movie that had them screaming.

It was the weekend, thankfully, so they wouldn't be tired through their activities today.

He quickly realized that some came out with their luggage, and all of them were dressed out of uniform. Confused, Kevin looked around for the nearest scout to ask what was going on.

 

“Hey, Tabs,” he called out. “What's going on?”

“First of all, it's Tabii, with two I's” the blonde corrected, “And it's the last day of camp, remember?” She shrugged for emphasis.

“Oh, right”

 

Today was the last day of camp, so it was only a half day. By lunchtime, all the girl's would be picked up by their parents and he wouldn't see them until the next summer.

 

Stepping into the mess hall, Tabii quickly ran towards Sasha and Erin, who were both waiting in line to grab breakfast from the buffet.

The hall wasn't as crowded as usual, seeing as half the girls were packing up so they could head home as soon as possible.

 

“Alright, ladies. Put your luggage against the right wall, and please try to keep it all together. And don't forget to check your cabins to see if you missed anything.” Penelope said loudly in her 'I'm in charge and possibly hungover' tone.

From what she's told him, last days of camp were always stressful, both on her and the girls. It's either girls crying because summer is over, and they don't want to go back home and back to school, some would cry over the fact it was their last summer, and others didn't want to leave their friends behind.

Whatever was going to go down, Kevin was prepared for hugs and goodbyes. He'd never admit, but he was really going to miss them all. This has probably been his favorite (and busiest) summer yet sale wise, and they've all grown on him like little sisters.

 

Kevin leaned against a wall and checked his phone while waiting for all the girls to get first dibs at breakfast, he'd come back and scrap whatever was left for breakfast later. Either that or he drives into town to grab a sausage biscuit sandwich and a coffee and call it a day.

His feed was pretty quiet, his sister sent him a cute picture of his 3-year-old niece “helping” make breakfast, he smiled seeing her little cheeky grin as she cracked eggs into the batter, shells and all.

 

As soon as the line lets up, he grabs a few strips of bacon and some (now, cold) scrambled eggs. The Tabii and Erin call him over to their table, and he heads over with a smile plastered on his face for his favorite girls.

“Good morning, girls,” Kevin greeted as he sat in between Tabii and Erin. The two each gave him a side hug before going back to their breakfast.

 

“Y'know, it feels weird seeing you three out of uniform,” Kevin pointed out.

Tabii wore a peach-colored checkered sundress. It looked handmade with love, unassumingly from her mother. She has mentioned how her family owns a farm out south, complete with pastures and horses. She still had her eye patch, but over the summer she had decorated it.

Erin wore a track team shirt, it was fairly large on her skinny frame and was tucked into a pair of black athletic shorts. Her hair was tied into a ponytail, revealing her mix-matched irises.

Sasha wore a floral sundress with a cropped denim jacket over it. It looked very warm, but Sasha's always seemed to be more concerned with her looks than the other two.

The one thing they all had in common, was their sashes over their chests, a collection of friendship bracelets they all made over the summer, and their matching scrunchies that tied their hair up.

They made him a few bracelets, too. A lot of different colors that came from different scouts,

 

“So,” Kevin said around a bite of bacon, “What's the gossip for today? Any shit go down in your cabins last night? Because it sounded wild”

“O. M. G,” Tabii started, her free eye lighting up with opportunity. “Okay, so Alexis brought a scary movie, right? But that bitch fucking knows Maddie is terrified of horror movies, so-”

As Tabii went on, Kevin sat back and scanned over the room, Erin was adding her own touches to the story, the other girls were all at their table, Penelope was going out the back door to smoke, and Sasha… Was quiet.

She had her chin in her hand, her eyes were droopy and had bags under them, telling him that she didn't sleep well last night. She merely swished her cereal around in her Styrofoam bowl. It was an unfamiliar sight to him.

 

“Hey, kiddo, what's buggin' ya?” Kevin asked Sasha, his brows furrowed in concern over the redhead.

Sasha's own brows furrowed, she looks down on the floor beside her and only grumbled.

Erin sighed, “She hates the end of camp. Her parents are always late,” she explained.

“I… Oh...” Kevin let out, looking down in sympathy. “I'm sorry, kiddo. That really sucks.”

Sasha sighed, pushing her half-eaten breakfast away, “It's fine, I'm used to it.”

Erin and Tabii looked away awkwardly, concerned expressions hidden away from their obviously not okay friend.

 

When he actually thought about it, Sasha never really liked to talk about her life outside of camp. She'd either change the subject when it came up, or she left the conversation entirely. Putting it in perspective though, it felt upsetting, to say the least.

He knew the other girls had their own issues, they've both come to him about them. Erin's been insecure about her eyes and hair, and Tabii has cried countless times over her patch making her look “ugly.”

He almost felt bad he never suspected something was up with Sasha.

 

“Well, if you ever need to talk, I'm around,” he stated, she nodded and went back to her breakfast. Kevin smiled.

 

 

An hour later, they were onto their assigned tasks for the day.

Various cabins were assigned a job, one cabin would check all the cabins for any lost items to take to the mess hall, another had to sweep up the mess hall and put away the tables and chairs, another had to help pack up all the activity gear and put away the outdoor tents (That was mainly left for the older scouts and counselors to do, though), and the last had to sweep around the campgrounds to pick up trash.

Kevin and the older scouts were busy taking down an awning they had up for various activities, Erin, being the tallest, got to help a lot with that.

 

“So, if you don't mind me asking, do you know anything about Sasha's parents other than the fact they're always late? Cause she never seems to talk about them, like, at all,” Kevin asked as he unscrewed some hinges (which probably wasn't even what he was supposed to do, but he's too lazy to read instructions anyway)

“Um...” Erin's quiet at first, she looks down before looking at him again. “Well, she did mention that they yell at her sometimes...” It was obvious Erin wasn't positive about telling him this or trusting him with this.

“Oh...” Kevin said under his breath. His brows knit together in concern over her again. He dropped a screw in the bucket Erin was holding for him

“And her parents are also super strict,” she added, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “They have a lot of expectations for her, too”

As soon as he finished unhinging and unscrewing various parts, the awning folded in on itself.

“That… really sucks,” Kevin replied as he stared down at the half-assed folded awning.

Erin stepped back before Kevin hopped off the ladder. She put the bucket of screws to the side as she helped him fold and put away the awning.

“Oh, and-” as Erin continued to talk about Sasha's parents, it hit him how seriously they sucked. He could really understand her attitude during breakfast this morning, now.

 

Together, they zipped up the awning in its case and carried it to the storage. It wasn't too heavy, mainly just bulky.

They walked past the other cabins, Tabii's cabin was cleaning up litter, and Sasha was inside sweeping. She had the same sad expression painted on her face from this morning, Kevin frowned.

 

“Are you sad about today?” Kevin asked Tabii as he held a garbage bag open for her to toss some litter she found into.

“Yeah, I'm gonna miss the girls,” Tabii admitted with a frown, tossing a hand-full of bottles into the bag.

“Don't you girls have each other's numbers or something? I can only imagine you three texting each other nonstop,” Kevin chuckled lightly to himself at the thought of each of them glued to their phones.

“Well, I have Erin's number, and she has mine, but Sasha's parents won't let us text her. But we talk year-round on Instagram” Tabii shrugged with her reply.

“Really? Well, at least you three can talk to each other. I'm glad you girls have that kinda bond” He admitted as Tabii lead him to another piece of litter on the ground.

 

Kevin's stomach was starting to twist at the thought of Sasha's home life at this point.

So far, he hasn't heard anything about them being violent, but he's not sure if he should hold his breath or not, and that was starting to scare him.

 

Hours later, everyone had gathered in the mess hall. The girls all sat with their luggage on the floor, lined up and organized by cabin so their parents could easily pick them up.

“Alright, ladies, we got everything packed?” Penelope asked, her megaphone squealed and some of the girls covered their ears.

With a quick check over their belongings, all the girls nodded and replied to confirm they were packed and ready to go.

“Alriiight!” Penelope nodded and smiled, she looked relieved things were going on track. “When your parents arrive, I'm going to call out your name. While you wait, we have bracelet making supplies set out”

 

Everything seemed under control for the most part. As suspected, a few girls were upset to be leaving, and lots of hugs went out to Kevin and Penelope as girls slowly started leaving.

About an hour in, Tabii's parents came in. They were a friendly couple, they even brought their dog, which got Tabii excited because she hadn't seen him in literal months. Never had Kevin seen so many children excited over a puppy at once.

 

“I'M GOING TO MISS YOU GIRLS SO MUCH!” Tabii cried out as her short arms wrapped around her two friends.

Erin and Sasha both exchanged their goodbyes for a good minute, never letting go of each other in the process. They were all sobbing and hugging, it was almost too emotional to even watch.

The three shared a muffled conversation consisting of “I'll text you girls as soon as I can,” and “I can't believe you have to leave now”

Before Tabii completely pulled away, she whispered something in Sasha's ear, she looked mildly upset, but Sasha nodded. Sasha wiped her eye carefully (as not to smear her mascara) as Tabii skipped off to her parents.

 

An hour and a half after that, Erin's mom came in. She was sweet, she brought cookies from home, apparently, they were Erin's favorite.

Erin held Sasha like it was their last chance to see each other. It was a long, extended hug. Sasha and Erin just rocked together.

Earlier that summer, Erin came out to Kevin as a lesbian. She had a crush on Sasha, but she was afraid to tell her. With that in mind, it only made the scene sadder to watch. Part of him felt like she knows, too.

“Please text me the second you get home. And… If they do anything, text me ASAP. I… I'll come get you” Erin shakily whispered into Sasha's strawberry blonde locks. It was soft and sweet, but concerning.

It was hardly audible, but Sasha sounded like she was crying into Erin's shoulder. The fact that Erin was patting her back and gently shushing her only supported Kevin's theory.

 

By 2 PM, every scout had been picked up except for Sasha. She was sitting against the wall, head hiding behind her knees. Kevin and Penelope looked at each other with a concerned expression.

“Should we call her parents?” Kevin asked in a whisper, unsure if he'd want Sasha to hear or not.

“I called them all week reminding to try and remind them to pick her up, they all went to voicemail, though,” Penelope answered, flicking her nails together anxiously.

Today, she couldn't get drunk or high, she had to be presentable for the parents. Unfortunately, she was always anxious and on edge when she was sober during stressful situations like these. These he learned over the summer when working with her.

“I could try calling them again, but they're probably not going to answer,” she crossed her arms and nodded in disappointment at the floor.

 

“Are you talking about my parents?” Sasha asked from across the room. Crap, she heard them.

“We… Yeah, sweetie, we are…” Penelope admitted. She let out a sigh of defeat as if this has happened before.

“Penny, has… Has this happened before?” Kevin asked. Sasha's pink eyes were starting to burn into his soul due to the strength of her glare, it was mildly unsettling.

“Um, well-”

“They're not coming. I'm pretty sure they're finally done with me” Sasha said, an angry undertone rising in her voice.

Sasha was running a hand through a loose lock of hair, from the distance, it was noticeable her chin was quivering. Kevin's never seen this girl look so sad in his life. It was unnerving.

 

“Oh, don't say that! I-I'm sure they'll be here soon, just give them a bitta time, kiddo” Kevin tried to cheer her up, she wasn't having it.

The expression that had laid across her face made his stomach twist. Her eyes were glossy and refused to look up at him and Penelope, as if she'd breakdown if she were to.

She stood up from her spot, “No, they're not!” She cried out, Kevin and Penelope just looked at each other in defeat.

“They're not coming because they fucking hate me!” Her hands balled into fists as she clung onto the hem of her dress. “They just sent me in this year to fucking ditch me! I fucking know they did!”

“Sweetheart...” Penelope stepped towards Sasha, holding out her arms to comfort her. At this point, hugs were a hit or miss, because Sasha was breaking down.

It took her a second to think about it, but she came into the hug. She wrapped her arms around Penelope's neck and held on tightly for dear life.

While Penelope is typically this high strung, take action woman, she did develop a soft spot for each of the girls over time, just like Kevin had. She didn't let it show very often though, mainly to keep up her image, at least, Kevin figured.

Truth be told, Penelope knows how tough Sasha's life is at home, camp is the only place she feels remotely safe anymore, and Penny didn't want to take that away from her.

 

“Sasha,” Kevin joined in on the hug hesitantly, “Can you please tell us what's going on at home? This sounds important,” he asked softly.

If something were happening, they'd have to get the cops involved. Hell, her parents were hours late to pick up their kid and left faulty contact information for her, they'd be involved no matter what. He at least wanted some information.

 

“I…” Sasha looked down at her converse, “It's nothing, everything's fine,” She insisted, but her voice was croaking in protest.

“Sasha, please. You can tell us anything, we won't do anything if you really don't want us to, but this sounds serious” Kevin insisted, he let his tone relax in an attempt to keep her calm.

He held her hands as Penny rubbed her back, both were words of advice from her to calm down an upset child if they allowed contact.

Sasha went quiet again, as if she were thinking so many things over in her head.

“Sweetheart, it's okay,” Penelope reassured. Sasha nodded and croaked out an “Okay”

With a deep breath, she sat back down, and Kevin and Penelope did the same.

“My parents are very busy people, my mom is my sister's manager, she's, like, a part-time model. And my dad is a CEO of this fucking company out in Austin. They both have these super high expectations for me because my sister is a fucking perfect princess, and I'm just a fucking little shit that can't get her motherfucking shit together because she's fucking-”

“Whoa, whoa. Alright, calm down, Sash,” Kevin requested. “Take a deep breath and try to slow down”

Sasha sniffled and nodded, wiping away a tear from the corner of her eye. She looked down at her hand and realized she ended up smudging her makeup, which caused her lip to quiver and her voice to squeak.

“Oh, don't worry, hun. I got a makeup wipe, we can fix it,” Priss suggested as she grabbed her tote from the wall.

 

As Penny left the scene for a moment, it hit Kevin how quiet the mess hall truly was. You could hear the birds chirping outside, wind hitting the building, the flag flapping in the wind, Penelope's heels clicking against the floor, and Sasha holding everything she could back.

Penelope returned with a makeup wipe and her tube of mascara. Sasha thanked her and cleaned up the smeared makeup.

“They just… Want me to be perfect all the time, at one point, they cut off meals so I'd have this “perfect body,” and they're never interested in what I want to do… I just… Feel unimportant in my own family” She confessed with a shaking sigh, she held onto herself as her toes tapped the floor.

“Oh, Sasha, I'm so sorry to hear that. You know, my folks wanted me to be a doctor or a lawyer. I haven't talked to them in years because…” Kevin didn't answer, he couldn't bring himself to.

 

His father had hurt him multiple times as a teenager for not getting his shit together and dropping out of high school. He turned to drugs and drinking as an escape, and that lead him to where he was up until summer.

There were days where he felt like he's reached his lowest point, deadbeat, selling drugs, hiding from the authorities.

But he was stepping out of that. At least, a little bit. Now he had something to associate himself with other than a washed up jackass.

He felt important when he helped out at camp, as if he were more than just a dealer in the alley. He felt useful. He felt needed.

It was nearly inspiring, actually. Something you could write a book about. Hell, you should write a book abou-

 

“Because what?”

Sasha's voice brought him back to reality.

Kevin hadn't realized he was lost in thought.

“Oh, um, nothing. Sorry, I forgot what I was gonna say”, he lied with a shrug and a hazy chuckle.

 

Hours past, and by 1 AM, Kevin and Penelope had the cops at camp to deal with the situation.

“So, they knowingly left outdated phone numbers on her papers, you said?” Sal asked, writing down any information Kevin had for him.

Kevin nodded, trying his best to keep his cool. Small town cops were easily more stressful to deal with if you're a dealer because they'll look for any sign of suspicion, as long as it means they get to do their jobs.

“We've tried calling them weeks in advance, and all day today, no answer. And the kid doesn't know their new numbers, either” he added. Sal nodded to himself as he wrote it down.

“And you also said they're also suspicious of possible neglect?” Sal asked, raising a brow.

“Yes, and abuse in general. From what she told me, they've cut off meals, too” His stomach twisted heinously at the thought of her starving at home.

“Oh, God. Thanks for telling us, we should probably ask her some questions, too” Sal scooted out of his seat and made his way to Sasha, who was wrapped in a blanket.

Kevin felt himself exhale a breath he unknowingly held in during the entire interview. He was praying he looked clean enough to not be suspicious, the last thing he needed was jail time.

 

The cops stuck around all night, which didn't help Kevin's paranoia. He was thankfully able to play it off as stress due to Sasha's situation, which they thankfully bought.

And around 3 AM, the cat dragged in the people of the hour. Sasha's parents.

They stormed in, looking exhausted and pissed off. They had an officer behind them with their baton in hand.

Sasha's mother quickly made her way to her, “Sasha, explain why we had the cops on the phone calling us about you?”

Sasha shrunk in her spot, wrapping her blanket around her tightly in fear. “I-I, um-”

“No- I want to know why they asked us about starving you?” She stated, her blue eyes glaring down at Sasha's wide pink ones.

“I-I'm sorry, they said it was okay t-to talk ab-bout I-i-it” Sasha stammered, her eyes started to well up with tears.  
“Officers, I am so sorry about this. Kids always make up stories for attention, and she's truly no exception,” her mother laughed. Kevin's brows furrowed.

You'd have to be a complete dumbass to believe that, but Kevin remember why he hadn't gotten caught yet.

“Ohohoh, I see. God, kid. You had us up all night worrying about you,” an officer chuckled, reaching over to ruffle her messy hair. Sasha look horrified, her jaw dropping to the floor as her eyes went wide.

“B-but, I-I-” “Save it,” Sasha's mom whispered. Sasha nodded as she peered back down to the floor.

Within mere minutes, Sasha and her parents were walking out to their car. Sasha's dad peered into Kevin's eyes with a look that screamed “I'm watching you”

Kevin's hands clenched into fists, he brought one to his mouth and gnawed on it to hold back frustrated screams.

Part of him didn't want to look back, because he knew he wouldn't be able to hold his frustration in while in front of the cops, but he did. And he was met with Sasha's expression that pleaded for help.

 

He watched as they opened the door for her to get in, but she revolted by stepping back, and when he saw her mother grab her wrist and her father push her in, he wasn't quite so worried about keeping his cool anymore.

 

Sprinting out the mess hall, his fist clenched tightly and aimed right in between her father's eyes, glocking him in his nose, causing him to fall over.

“How FUCKING dare you!” He grunted as he held his bleeding nose. Kevin panted angrily with gritted teeth as he stared him down.

“Kevin, please, don't! You're gonna get hurt!” Sasha cried out. Her mother screamed for her to get in the car.

Penelope was shouting something, too, but his ears were ringing as her father launched himself onto him, so he couldn't register any of it.

He couldn't remember much of what happened other than the fact that her father didn't go down without a fight, and the pepper spray straight into his eyes.

 

None of it mattered, if it meant Sasha was out of their fucking hands, he'd be willing to do anything.


	2. Time Stood Still

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kevin's beat up and wakes up in a new place, Sasha goes more in-depth about her parents, and both of their lives change forever near the end.
> 
> TW
> 
> \- Mentions of abuse (Verbal, physical, mental)  
> \- Hints of Post Dramatic Stress

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is basically just 2,000 words of pure venting lmao
> 
> A lot of what Sasha brings up is based on actuals experiences I've had with my parents (with a few themes swapped to fit the character), so there is quite a bit of detail on them

When Kevin woke up, he felt like shit.

His head was reeling, his ears were ringing, his eye stung and his jaw was sore. 

He felt like pure fucking shit.

His vision was blurred, and he wasn't 100% sure what the fuck happened to his eye to cause it to sting. In fact, he wasn't 100% sure about anything that was going on.

He looked around to try and grasp a concept on where the hell he was, and what he was doing.

There were lots of empty benches, phones ringing, people constantly talking around him, cops-

Cops...

Fuck. He was in the Sleepy Peak Police Station's lobby

He swore he felt his heart sink when he saw the cops in the corner of his eye, and he quickly checked his wrists for cuffs.

To his relief, his hands were free. But to his surprise, his knuckles were bruised and scraped up. In fact, he was covered in bruises. And he was sore…

Things started slowly coming to him, he wasn't in trouble. But he did get in a fight. Who the hell was he even-

Wait.

Sasha's dad. He was fighting Sasha's dad.

HE WAS FIGHTING SASHA'S FUCKING DAD.

SASHA.

 

Kevin frantically hopped off of the bench he was sitting in, feeling like his heart was pounding in his throat, “W-where the hell is she?! Where's Sasha?!” He asked a cop in a panic, his breaths were frantic and shallow.

A cop backed up, startled by him suddenly screaming after being unconscious for hours. “Y-you mean t-the girl? She and that lady you were with are sleeping in the corner!” She pointed as she tried to settle down.

To his relief, they were sleeping. Sasha was curled under a blanket, sleeping with a tense expression while she leaned against Priss like a pillow. And Penelope had her arms crossed and brows furrowed, she had bags under her eyes and looked like she had taken off her makeup at some given point.

They both look exhausted as if they hadn't gotten any sleep in hours. Kevin felt himself let out a sigh of relief as he sat back down, feeling his heartbeat settle back to a normal pace.

 

“How uh… How long have we been here?” He asked as he popped his sore back.

“Few hours, the girl's parents got arrested for child abuse and the lady asked if y'all could sleep before any important decisions were made. But um… Your lady friend here had some issues sleeping, you were beat up pretty badly” They confirmed, pouring water into a paper cup before handing it to him.

Kevin felt himself sigh again, “Thank God, I'm glad they're out of the picture,” he said before taking a sip of water.

 

Kevin reached into his pocket, taking out his phone. He quickly sent a text to his sister to give her an update on the situation.

She was shocked, and frankly, a little scared. That was to be expected. She asked what was going to happen to Sasha, and Kevin just looked back at her sleeping, because to be honest, he didn't know what was going to happen to her.

 

He spent about ten minutes talking to his sister before Penelope woke up. She gently eased Sasha off of her shoulder, allowing her to sleep on her own.

“Hey,” she greeted, her voice was hoarse and croaky, unlike her counselor voice or her bossy tone. “Hey,” he replied softly. He was almost positive being too loud would give her a headache, and he was also positive the background noise of the station wasn't helping.

She sat down next to Kevin, letting a long, frustrated and exasperated sigh escape. “You really have to stop getting into fights,” she simply stated.

Kevin chuckled as he draped an arm around her shoulder, “No can do, hun” he joked, clicking his tongue and giving her a loose finger gun.

She gave him a glare but lightly laughed herself. “It was pretty brave of you to go after him like that,” Penelope said with the ghost of a smile. He grinned at her as if that were praise to him. “But you got the living shit beaten out of you, it scared the hell out of me”

“I… I'm sorry, but I couldn't let her go with them. Something just kind of came over me, I had to do something, Pen” He implied, leaning forward with a sigh.

He ran a hand through his ashy brown hair, wincing as he hit a scrape he hadn't realized was there before. Penelope patted his back to comfort him, he laid a hand on hers in return. There was a contrast between his rough hands, and her smaller, softer ones. 

 

Penny waited for a cop to pass, “God, I'd kill for a smoke right about now”

Kevin chuckled, and Penelope returned one. She leaned back into the bench and wiped a hand down her tired face.

“We have to keep it together,” she stated, “We don't want her thinking we're too stressed” She pointed a thumb towards Sasha.

She was still sleeping in the bench, she had curled up in the yellow blanket she had draped around her shoulders. Even in her sleep, the redhead looked stressed and anxious. It was heartbreaking, almost.

 

“So, what are we going to do with her?” Penelope asked, her brows furrowing towards the floor.

“What can we do?” Kevin asked, his eyes squeezed shut at what he was about to bring up. “Her parents got arrested, there aren't too many options on our plate, here” he stated.

Penelope frowned at him. “Unless she has a relative that'll take her in, she might go into foster care or some shit like that. And I don't know how I feel about either of those options” He added as he rested his (admittedly, sore) chin on his hands.

Kevin let out a frustrated sigh. “I want her to be safe, and I want her to be somewhere where I know she can be safe”

Penelope laid a hand on his shoulder, and again, he returned the favor.

“I want that for her, too. I really do. But it's not entirely up to us, she has a say in this, too” Penelope reminded him, and he let his head hang loose.

“I know, I know…” He sighed deeply.

 

“I get a say in what?”

Sasha's voice startled both of them. Kevin's head whipped up fast enough he felt a twinge in his neck.

“Good morning, sweetheart,” Kevin greeted as Sasha came over and hugged them both, quickly avoiding the topic for a moment.

“Kevin, are you okay?” Sasha asked, her expression looked frightened and tense, Kevin's heart sunk.

Kevin tried laughing it off to calm her down. “Heh, yeah, totally, kiddo!”

Looking down at her expression nearly killed him, as if she knew he was lying to protect her feelings.

Kevin, feeling bad, quickly shifted the subject. “Hey, did I look cool fighting your dad?” Kevin asked with a confident smirk and a light chuckle he struggled to hold back.

“Um, yeah...” Sasha rubbed her arm anxiously. “Up until you blacked out after he beat the living shit out of you until the cops physically had to drag him away from you”

“Oh,” Kevin winced, that at least gave him an explanation to his bumps and bruises.

“You did fuck up his nose, though!” She added, he swore he saw a slight glint of happiness in her eye at that moment, he smiled.

 

Sasha hoisted herself up onto the bench in between the two counselors, her legs draped over the edge of the bench, allowing her to kick them gently.

“Like, he hit you, and you fell over, but you wouldn't stop! You just kept going, and going, and going, and-” her expression changed from an excited one to a more monotone and horrified one.

Kevin put a hand on her shoulder, she looked up at him in mild confusion. “Alright, kiddo. I get it. But are you okay?” He asked, his brows furrowing in concern over the redhead.

Sasha looked down at her converse as if she were unsure how to answer, or as if she didn't want to answer yet. After a short silence, Kevin spoke up, adding “It's okay if you don't want to tell me, or even if you don't know how to feel yet. I fully understand, sweetheart”

Kevin draped an arm around Sasha, she hugged it, letting out a sniffle. Kevin's brows further furrowed.

“I just… For years I was hoping to be out of their hands, I wanted out of there so badly...” Her voice grew weary and croaky, Kevin rubbed her arm for comfort.

“It felt like they cared more about my sister as if I never mattered to them. And they have this image for “the perfect daughter”, and I'm not her… I never was...”

The last part was quiet, a whisper, almost. It didn't mean it wasn't huge to Kevin and Priss. Kevin felt his jaw drop, but he didn't say anything.

“T-they just w-w-want m-me t-to be-e p-perfect, like a FUCKING copy of her! It's always “You should be more like Brittney,” and “Why can't you be like Brittney?” WHAT ABOUT ME?” Sasha cried out, slamming a fist against the bench before cupping her face to cry.

 

Kevin and Penelope frantically looked at each other with furrowed brows and matching expressions.

Sasha had a sharp cry before she lifted her head out of her hands. “T-they'd h-hurt me… M-my mom always did m-my hair, a-and I HATED it! I-it always burnt my ears, a-and my ne-eck, a-and…”

Sasha's hid her head in her arms while she hugged her knees, sobbing all the while. Kevin and Penelope held her close, hugging her together, patting her back and allowing her to settle her rapid breathing with theirs.

Sasha took a deep breath, calming down enough to speak somewhat clearly. “When I was eight, they took me to get my ears pierced, I kept telling them I didn't want to get them pierced, but they took me anyway… And it hurt… A lot”

Sasha looked off to the side, sighing deeply. “They had so many standards… And they… They stuck…”

That felt heavy, too heavy coming from a 12-year-old.

“I'm so afraid to leave my room without makeup, or pretty clothes, or some sort of accessory, I can't leave without my stomach feeling tight and my chest sinking in.” Sasha's head flopped back, allowing a few tears to fall down the sides of her face.

 

“I just…” Sasha sighed, “I just want to be okay, I want to feel okay… Is that too much to ask?”

“No, hun, it's not,” he confirmed while looking into her eyes, holding one of her significantly smaller hands in a comforting manner. “You deserve to feel okay, you deserve to be okay”

Sasha sniffled and looked at him, almost as if she wasn't sure if he was telling the truth or not. Her voice squeaked before she crashed into his chest for a hug, he patted and rubbed her back in return.

“I'm sorry...” She apologized into his shoulder, she was practically shaking. Kevin shushed her and comforted her, she breathed in so sharply that it came out as a squeak of some sorts. “I never get to talk about how I'm feeling, they always brushed off how I was feeling, saying that “I'm overreacting…” And… I'm afraid I am, sometimes…”

“Hey, now,” he pulled her off of him gently to look into her eyes. “You're not overreacting at all, adults say that sometimes because they're afraid of looking wrong, it's hard to believe sometimes, I know,”

He allowed her to cling onto him again, and he stroked her red locks. “Sasha, sweetheart, you're allowed to have bad days. I'm sorry you never got to have them at home, but it's okay to let it out now,”

 

For a moment, she stopped. Being told it was okay for her to feel this way felt so new and alien to her. She pulled back and looked at his face, maybe to make sure he wasn't joking or lying to her. But he looked so sincere, a little sad, almost.

Kevin felt himself starting to get emotional. “I, uh… I never got to hear that from my folks, and I think everyone deserves to hear that, at some point,” he brushed his misty eyes with a sleeve to dry them before looking back at her.

Sasha stopped crying, she was still sniffling and had a few hiccups here and there, but the tears initially stopped. She looked down at her feet before nodding to herself. “T-thank you…”

Kevin smiled down at her, not like she could see it, though. He draped an arm around her arm hugged to her to his side.

 

 

Hours later, Kevin and Priss were asked to follow an officer into an office to ask some questions and to make arrangements for Sasha's living situation.

Sasha was taken to a room down the hall from them, and judging by her kicking and screaming, she did not like it. Kevin winced as she tried to get out of their grip to follow them, she kept calling out for them and he felt utterly useless.

 

“...She's coming back to us, right?” He asked as he sat himself down next to Penelope. His brows were slightly tense, an expression he's grown so used to within the last 24 hours.

“Oh, of course,” The officer said, taking her own seat across from them.

Kevin and Penelope looked at each other, a slight sense of relief was shared between the two.

The officer slid over some papers to the two, “Could you fill these out while I ask you some questions?”

Kevin and Priss nodded, both respectively taking a sheet.

“First off, how do you know Sasha, and how long have you known her?” She asked, her pen ready to write down information of her own.

“Well,” Penelope started off, “I've known her for years, she's been a Flower Scout since she was nine, so about three years now?”

“And I've known her for nearly two months,” Kevin added.

“Ah, I see,” she said, raising her brows ever so lightly.

 

“If you don't mind me askin', what're these for, exactly?” Kevin asked, eyeing down the form he had in front of him.

“They're asking her about her home life down the hall, if she can confirm there's a trusted family member she can stay with and they approve, it's either that, or she goes into foster care or she can possibly stay with you since you two are close to her” she explained, Kevin and Priss exchanged tense expressions.

Those were the words he was dreading to hear, but he knew the subject of her leaving him would come up. He hadn't heard about her other relatives, especially not any positive ones to look up to, and the Foster Care System meant he'd probably lose touch with her forever.

Kevin sucked in a sharp breath, “Um, if I might add something, I really don't want Sasha to be where we won't be able to know if she's safe,” He anxiously rubbed the back of his neck, internally praying that didn't come off as creepy.

“And I can understand that, but it's not necessarily something you have control of, Mr…” She rolled her hand, hoping he could provide an answer.

“-Murphy. Kevin Murphy,” he corrected, leaning back in his chair with a soft huff.

“Mr. Murphy, of course. Let's continue”

 

Hours later, Sasha had already finished, and at this point, the matter of her living situation was just behind the door.

She was sitting on the bench in the lobby, a cop kept her company while she waited for the news.

“So, you nervous?” He asked, leaning against a wall in an attempt to look somewhat cool. 

Sasha shrugged, twiddling her thumbs together as she kicked her legs, “I guess? I'm just hoping things turn out o-”

The door to the office opened, Sasha's head perked up. And with the widest smile on his face, Kevin pointed towards Sasha. 

“GUESS WHO JUST GOT ADOPTED!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thank you to everyone who left lovely comments last week <3 <3 <3 All the love and support was almost overwhelming, I hope this chapter was worth the wait for everyone!!


	3. Burns Repeated and Night Drive Music

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sasha tries (and fails) not to cry while saying goodbye to Priss before and Kevin go home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW:
> 
> \- Hints of PTSD and Mental Abuse
> 
> \---
> 
>  
> 
> SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING IN LITERAL MONTHS
> 
> I had to finish up choir with two patriotic concerts, help host a 4th of july party, and I've been working on my webcomic
> 
> I'm just trying to enjoy summer as much as I can before I have to worry about Senior Year and College y'all

The following week felt like a blur to Sasha, totally and completely unreal.

The last thing that felt crystal clear to her was the night before she had to go home. She, Tabii, and Erin were all in their cabin. She was sad, really sad. She was crying while wrapped up in her quilt while Tabii and Erin sat next to her on each side.

Then, it was morning, and she felt bittersweet as she packed her bag. She had one last thing to pack, her makeup bag. She felt a twinge in her heart and her stomach sink, but she shook the feeling away as she reached for her mascara.

Soon, she was spacing out through her final activities for the summer, despite how much she tried clinging onto those final hours. She was making a scrapbook, and she had taken so many photos, and she had dry pressed so many flowers, and they were all eager to be taped into her scrapbook so she could hold onto summer for as long as she could.

Then, lunchtime came around, but it wasn't really lunchtime. Slowly, girls started leaving, and girls started crying. It felt heavy and unreal. Things felt cold and empty as the mess hall slowly started to uncrowd. It made the room feel huge, it made Sasha feel so small.

Later, she was in the grip of her parents, and everything blurred.

She saw Kevin running out of the mess hall towards her parents, but everything was blurred.

Kevin was on top of her father, fighting him off to save her, but everything was blurred.

She was in the car on her way to the police station next to a sobbing Miss Priss and a beat up Kevin, but everything was blurred.

The sun was coming up, and she was freely sobbing now, and Kevin was bleeding and she felt so useless and afraid.

Sasha felt so alone, she was practically praying he'd get up to hold her and comfort her.

But everything was blurred.

 

Now it was sunset, and it left a beautiful golden hue over all of Lake Lilac. The cicadas were all hissing and singing along the edge of the deep and lush pine forest, the lake was lapping on the shore, and various birds and crickets all sung over each other.

Across the lake, Camp Campbell had a bonfire going, most likely as a way to celebrate summer ending by bringing everyone together one last time. The Wood Scouts can softly be heard from across the lake, too. They were finishing some of their later activities before they ate dinner.

If it were still camp time, the girls would have all been piled up in the mess hall, bustling and gossiping about God knows what while showing off their freshly crafted patches, pins, and friendship bracelets.

But right now, the camp was closed. At least, it was supposed to be. But instead, Kevin, Priss, and Sasha were all back at camp to say goodbye.

Everything was starting to clear up, her heart started to settle and her stomach finally stopped twisting and turning painfully.

Thanks to most of the SPPD, like most of the residents of Sleepy Peak, being complete dumbasses, Kevin managed to gain custody over Sasha pretty easily (Thanks to him pulling some strings and loosely using a few white lies here and there)

The three returned to camp to gather their belongings before parting for the rest of the year. It was a hard concept, especially after the week they had. But Penelope had work to do out of town, and Kevin needed to get Sasha settled into her new home asap.

 

Kicking her boot on the pavement outside of the mess hall, Sasha anxiously awaited to say goodbye to Miss Priss.

Penelope gave her a melancholy smile as she tilted her head up by lifting her chin. “I'm gonna miss you, sweetheart,” she said as Sasha leaned in for a tight hug.

Sasha felt her throat grow sore again as if she were going to cry for the 100th time this week. “I'm gonna miss you, too,” Sasha whimpered, holding back the urge to cry once again.

She knew it was okay to cry, they reassured her countless times, now. But she didn't feel okay to cry. She always felt the presence of disappointment when she started tearing up as if Kevin or Penelope were going to turn on her and hurt her for crying.

She hated feeling this way.

 

But Priss was crying, too. Her eyes had glossed over and her chin trembled, knowing this was goodbye for a while. Even though she knows she can visit her at any given moment now, knowing just where she'll be, safe with Kevin.

Kevin looked upset, too. His hands were buried in his hoodie and he scuffed his worn shoes on the ground while leaning on his beat-up rust colored Honda.

She couldn't quite pin why he was crying, he had her, it was all over.

Or was it?

Maybe he was crying because it was ending, a bittersweet breakdown, perhaps? Or was it because new things were just beginning, and he wasn't quite sure what was going to happen.

Adults cried for strange reasons, and half the time it was hardly because they were sad.

 

A gentle summer's breeze blew past the three of them. It was cool and gave them a sweet taste of the coming Autumn. Kevin's ashy brown locks gently blew with the wind, and he sighed with it.

Sasha never took the time to take it all in, but now, knowing she had to be leaving, and didn't have to worry about her parents dragging her away for what she annually feared would be the last time, she allowed herself to embrace it.

 

Sasha glanced over at Camp Campbell again, on the pier stood Max, blue hoodie and all. Every once in a while, Sasha would spot him on the pier. They'd stop and exchange glances, watching each other from across the lake.

It was nice, nearly down to earth. Almost like something out of a sappy love story she once read a few summers back. Every once in a while, whenever the Flower Scouts would come over to Camp Campbell for some sort of challenge they'd have to participate in, they'd cross paths.

They hardly talked to each other, as if they just wanted to preserve what they had, or maybe he secretly thought she was just this weird girl staring at him creepily.

“Who's that, yer boyfriend?” Kevin asked, suddenly next to her.

Frightened, Sasha jumped, “W-what? N-no! I hardly know him!” She insisted, but the red hue on her cheeks strongly protested. She threw her arms down in embarrassment.

Kevin placed a hand on his forehead and chuckled, but he quickly stopped himself once he saw a genuine upset and embarrassed expression sprawled on her face. He patted her shoulder, perhaps as an apology, or as an indirect “there, there”

Max awkwardly waved before heading back to camp, and Kevin and Sasha waved back. Sasha backed up to Kevin's car and buried her head in her hands, letting out a long, exaggerated and distressed groan.

Kevin frowned down at her, “I'm sorry fer embarrassing you, sweetheart. You don't think he heard us, do ya?” he asked.

Sasha shrugged before running a hand through her strawberry blonde locks. “Probably not, I've tried talking to him over the lake, never works,” she confirmed. “Believe me; I've tried”

Kevin's frown increased slightly, “I'm sorry, kiddo”

Around the end of camp season, all the counselors texted each other, just in case they needed help with something, so Kevin and Priss had Gwen and David filled in on the situation. He could practically hear the concern in David's messages, almost as if he were reading them off to him himself.

 

Looking back down to Sasha, Kevin felt a twinge in his heart again. All these goodbyes couldn't physically be healthy for a child. 

Not only did she have to say goodbye to her parents (Well, not really a “good”bye, but she surely won't be seeing them again), but she also had to say goodbye to her friends for what she thought would be the last time, goodbye to miss Priss after a stressful week, and goodbye to someone she hardly got the chance to say hello to in the first place.

Penelope knelt in front of Sasha, placing a hand on her shoulder. “This isn't really goodbye, I can come to see you later once you've settled into your new home” she gave her the best comforting smile she could muster, despite every urge she had to break down over the stressful week they've all had.

No, that felt too soon. Sasha felt her stomach twinge and pull from the anxiety bubbling inside of her building up.

She glanced up at Kevin, then noticed just how dark it had gotten. “God, it's getting late. I really gotta hit the road now,” Penelope said before giving Kevin a hug.

No, it's too soon. She couldn't be leaving, not now. Please, not now.

As Kevin and Penelope said their goodbyes, reality hit Sasha once again as “Your new home” repeated over and over again in her head like a broken record. She slowly started to panic as thoughts overwhelmed her.

“Your new home” was a loud and constant chorus that rang in her head, it easily drowned out all her surroundings. 

And it kept getting louder as Kevin directed her to his car, it rang in her ears as he unlocked the door, it burned as Penelope waved goodbye one last time before she got in her own car while Sasha climbed in the passenger side.

And as the camp merely disappeared behind them, everything blurred.

 

 

Sasha honestly couldn't recall much of what was going on during the car ride into the city. She kept zoning out into thought. And Kevin just figured she was tired, but it hardly eased his mind.

After a few minutes of a one-sided conversation, Kevin turned on the radio. 

 

“Night Drive” isn't an actual music genre, but it should be. Because there are just some songs that are perfect for night drives, especially on long ones on the highway.

“Hey there, Delilah” was one of them, it was slow, soft, and easy. Sure, you could listen to it in the daytime, but it felt better at night, it felt right somehow.

A lot of music with chiptune undertones also fit the genre very well if they were played correctly, but those were harder to explain.

Over the years, he's listened to a lot of night drive songs all alone in his car while on the job, having nobody to listen with. Giving him all the time in the world to grow opinions on which songs were “night drive worthy”

 

But now, things were different. He had a kid he could legally consider his daughter next to him. He wasn't alone anymore.

Granted, now she was passed out, curled up in the passenger side with his hoodie draped over her like a blanket.

He smiled at her, watching her rest calmly next to him. She still had a tense expression on her face, and she clung to the scrapbook she made yesterday.

He could only imagine what was going through her head to cause such an expression, but when he remembered how uneasy she seemed while making it, he felt his stomach sink.

But he sighed and focused back on the road, now wasn't the time to worry over her. He just had to get her home, then maybe she'd feel safe and sound.

That's all he wanted, was for her to be safe, something he wanted to feel when he was younger. He could give her the childhood they both deserved, with him being her loving father who'd actually give a fuck about her feelings.

And now, here he is. Adopting the child of someone he beat the living shit out of the previous night.

The thought of her father getting what he deserved made his night, but the thought of Sasha finally being safe might have made his entire life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is so sad, Alexa play Keeper of the Flame
> 
> When I wrote about "chiptune undertones" I was 100% referring to "Keeper of the Flame" and "Outro Outro" by Richie Branson.
> 
> Seriously, if it's night (and you're not tired, please don't pass out while driving dgjkrsfs), play those (and "Hey there, Delilah") on your aux cord while you carefully drive through the night (esp on a roadtrip!!)
> 
> I put that in because of nostalgia from my trips back home from camping trips with my family, those were some of the fondest camp memories I had tbh


	4. First day of Fatherhood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sasha and Kevin come home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been, like, an entire summer, and NOBODY told me about how fucked up the description in chapter 3 ended up
> 
> Also sorry it's been an entire summer, lol. I wanna give an excuse but I'm p sure this is just because I've been super lazy

Sasha was practically passed out by the time they got to Kevin's apartment at Midnight. He put her scrapbook into her backpack, slinging it over his shoulder before he unbuckled her seatbelt and carried her to the building.

His apartment was in an admittedly sketchy area, but not a lot of cops passed by and the rent was fairly cheap. It was definitely a fixer-upper though, accounting how his landlord was a complete dumb-ass.

But it could definitely be worse, at least, that's what he had to remind himself that every time when something would break down.

 

Digging through his pockets, Kevin unlocked the apartment while struggling to hold her up with one arm. She wasn't that heavy, but the fear of dropping her or waking her up was.

He was hoping she'd maybe be awake by the time they got home so he could show her around and not shock her when she woke up, but she was fast asleep and clinging onto his side, and he wasn't feeling all there, either.

 

He laid her down on his Murphy bed, tossed her suitcase and his duffel-bag to the side, and switched on the air conditioner to try and cool down the apartment.

His AC hoarsely sprung to life, giving off more of a rattle than a purr, but it still worked nonetheless. 

With a few crackles and snaps, he popped out his spine during a well-deserved stretch. Driving for so long with little to no breaks did a number on his back, but he had been determined to get her out of there and back home as soon as possible.

With a quick “Just got home” text to Priss and his sister, he crashed onto his couch. 

While normally, it was a cheap couch that came with the apartment, coated with various questionable stains, but at that moment it felt like pure heaven once he actually got to lie down.

 

Scanning his apartment made him realize just how small it was. For one person, yeah, it was liveable. But it felt a little cramped knowing there'd be two people living in such a small space. But it would work, all of… this… Could work.

 

In his head, he moved around various furniture, he even cleared out the spare bedroom he used as a “closet” to hide supplies. That way, Sasha could have her own room, a space to herself. He could just use the Murphy Bed, it was definitely comfier than the couch was.

The supplies got him thinking, being a drug dealer wasn't at all the safest job, especially when you had legal custody of a child. His stomach churned at the thought of his “job” getting them in trouble, and Sasha taken away. But he was great at keeping things on the down low.

Maybe things would work.

He'd just have to convince himself that until he could find a stable and safer job.

 

Kevin woke up to him being shaken and shoved, he peeked over his shoulder to see Sasha, with messy hair and bags under her eyes.

“Do you have coffee?”

Kevin blinked at her for a moment and shook his head in confusion. “What?”

“Coffee? You know, latte, espresso, cappuccino? Anything??” She asked, raising her hand in emphasis.

Kevin laughed softly, “Aren't you a little young to be drinking coffee?” He asked. Sasha glared at him with furrowed brows.

Kevin's own brows raised. Okay, so she's serious about wanting coffee.

“Didn't you just wake up? How are you already tired enough for coffee?” Kevin asked as he sat up and popped his spine.

“I… couldn't sleep...” Sasha admitted, brushing her messy bangs aside so she could see better.

“Really? But you were passed out when we got home, and you were still fast asleep when I went to bed,” He pointed out, a single brow raised in confusion.

Despite his doubts, he still wanted coffee himself, so he got up as he allowed her to continue the conversation.

“I woke up around 2 AM, and I couldn't fall back asleep,” She explained, pulling up a chair. (Well, really, it was the only chair he had)

“Ah, I see,” He added before he focused on coffee.

 

Sasha tapped her (admittedly, short) fingernails on the table. She noticed how it wasn't a dining table, but rather some cheap card table you could probably find at Walmart, and the only “chair” at the table was a red metal folding chair, like something she'd find at her old school.

Peeking over into the kitchen, she saw Kevin working on the coffee, he saw her in the corner of his eye, prompting him to ask “Are you hungry? I think I have some pancake mix”

Without much thought, she nodded, seeing as she hasn't eaten anything yet anyways. While he got started on breakfast, Sasha hopped over to her luggage to fetch an outfit, her hairbrush, and her toothbrush.

“Um, where's the bathroom?”

“The door on the right, you can look around if you want, we'll have to clean up and get your room set up, anyways,” He insisted, leveling out some water in a measuring cup.

Sasha nodded before wandering off to said bathroom, stepping over various luggage and crap Kevin left behind before he started working at the Troop.

 

 

About 20 minutes later, Sasha sat at the table, cleaned up and ready for the day. Kevin laid down their own respective mugs of coffee and plate of pancakes. “Bone app the teeth” Kevin said with an ironic smile.

Sasha raised a brow at him, “Ahem, it's 'bon appetit'” She corrected with a look, Kevin just laughed at her.

“I know, I know. I'm just jokin' around,” he insisted before taking a sip of, what he felt, was a well-deserved cup of coffee.

Sasha gave him a glare before she wearily sniffed her coffee, “...Do you have pumpkin spice?” She asked, raising a brow.

“No, hun. It's the middle of August, we don't talk about Pumpkins or Halloween til September. Til then, you can have instant”

Sasha blinked at him, as if she were about to ask what the hell he meant, but instead, she shrugged to herself quietly before she tried some of her pancakes.

 

They were admittedly dry and tasted a bit stale. The mix he used was probably a little old and he did use water instead of what she could only assume would preferably have been milk. But surely, they were edible, even if they tasted bland.

Kevin took notice of her uneasy expression at his cooking. “I swear, I'm normally a better cook, I just didn't have time to go shopping. We could go this afternoon if you'd like” He insisted.

Sasha gave him a quick nod, not bothering to look up from her breakfast. That was good enough for him.

 

By noon, they were walking to the store. Sasha cautiously held Kevin's hand throughout the neighborhood, mostly out of fear of all the homeless people and muggers around the corner that lingered.

“You know, they're not gonna hurt you. I actually know a lot of these guys,” he admitted, looking down at her tense face. “They're really nice, none of them would ever hurt a kid in their life”

“I. Don't. Care.” She said through her teeth, her grip getting tighter at a stoplight. Her stance was tense, but also a little unstable due to her shaking on the spot.

He didn't know her experience with homeless people in the past that would cause her to act like this, but judging from Sasha herself, he could only assume it was just based on her opinions on poor people in general.

Or it could be the fact that she's still young and has literally never been in this part of town before, and she's surrounded by new places and people she's never even seen before, with a new caretaker she's only known for about 2 months. That would also be a valid explanation.

As they crossed the street, Kevin started thinking to himself (Mostly because Sasha was silent for most of the walk, trying to keep to herself while her eyes darted across the neighborhood). He's been mostly gone for a couple of months, mostly coming out here in the night for a few private meetups. None of his friends had really seen him since he started working for the troop, because what the hell would they think of him becoming a father.

Some of them joked about it, but mainly as a “you fucked up and got someone pregnant” kinda ordeal. And he never really gave fatherhood much thought because for that reason, but now, here he fucking is. Kid in hand (Even if she's basically paralyzed out of fear)

 

By the next spotlight, it was a more open, less crowded area. He felt Sasha let loose a little, but she still had his hand in hers.

Looking up at him, Sasha anxiously asked, “If I find pumpkin spice coffee mix, could we get some?” 

Kevin was about to bring up the “No Halloween until September” rule, but that would be mean. It's her favorite coffee, and she's been up very late lately due to this whole ordeal. She needs something. 

“Of course, I don't think I've really ever tried any myself, so why not?” He shrugged before they crossed the street together.

When he looked down, Sasha was smiling.

**Author's Note:**

> You can find more Papa Kevin content on my cc blog, queeniecamps!!


End file.
